Through Stained Glass: Advent--wonder

Wonder.

“I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ask.
And that in wondering bout the big things and
asking bout the big things, you learn about
the little ones, almost by accident. But you never
know nothing more about the big things than
you start out with. The more I wonder, the more I love.” 
― Alice Walker, The Color Purple 

Often I wonder about wonder.

It is such a mysterious word to me.

Free of boundaries and expectations.

There is a freedom and an invitation for creativity.

Wonder.

Lately I’ve been wondering about something.

I can’t help but wonder what God thinks about the sate of things?

I wonder if She is tired of weeping?

I wonder if He has grown exhausted of asking “when?” and “why?”

I wonder…

Today’s word, wonder, is accompanied by this text:

Luke 1.26-33

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’

The word wonder is perplexing and worth pondering.

I find it helpful to wander when I’m thinking about wondering.

I wonder about the invitation declaration the angel Gabriel made to Mary.

I wonder what she thought immediately after hearing the good news?

I wonder where her thoughts wandered?

Wandering and wondering go in hand. So does walking. Walking, some way, helps us become aware to the wonder of the world around us, the way Mary made herself available to God.

I wonder what would happened if you took a walk today and did so with intentionality?

Advent is about being mindful of how God has, is, and will disrupt the status quo of life as we know it.

Advent is a season that invites us to slow down, to ponder the coming Christ child, and wonder about this selfless act of love.

Friends, take an advent walk today. Walk though quietly and mindfully. Listen for what feels life giving. Walk with your senses. Take a walk and be not afraid to wander, you never know what wonder of the world might overwhelm you with a warm stirring of God’s love…

And then wonder WHAT you can do to let the world know that The Lord is with you…’

Through Stained Glass: Advent--Guide

Advent is a journey.

It is the beginning of the story for God’s people.

As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed,

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

The light has not gone away.

Nor will it ever go away.

God promised that.

Find the light.

Wherever and however you can.

Then, be the light for me, for your neighbor, for your family, for yourself.

Let the light guide you; ground you; greet you in the morning.

When you do, when you let the Light consume you, where you end up my surprise you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

What is the light revealing to you?

Where is God calling you to bring light?

How are you letting the light guide you?

So it is during this Advent journey we pray that God may guide our feet as we march towards peace…

Through Stained Glass: Advent--Beginning

Where do I begin?

A question I ask myself often when facing a writing deadline or when I have a project waiting for me.

The answer is usually the same:  you start at the beginning.

This makes me think of a story Anne Lamott tells in her book Bird by Bird. The paraphrased version is this:  her brother had a project where he was supposed to identify birds. He waited too long and on the eve of when the project was due he became overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin.

Finally when the boy thought all was lost, his dad comes along side him and says, “Bird by bird. That is how we will begin. Going bird by bird.”

Where do I begin?

                        Right where you are.

How do I begin?

                        By walking to where you’ve always been.

Where have I always been?

                        In the presence of God…

                                                            In whom we live and have our being. (see Acts 17).

You don’t understand. What I face is too big to overcome. I don’t know how.

We have a choice.

                        To stop.

                        Or

                        To start.

Begin at the beginning. And as you do, in that first small step toward courage, remember this:  

³ But you, O Holy One, are a shield around me,   my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. ⁴ I cry aloud to the holy one,   and God answers me from Her holy hill.

Now is the time to begin.

Now is the time to begin.

Now.

            Is.

                       

                        The.

                                    Time.

                                                To.

                                                            Begin.

Perhaps, again.

Where do I begin?

Right where you are. You are not alone. God goes before you. God goes behind you. God goes with you.

Begin.

Begin by knowing that God is near.

With this moment. With this breath.

That is where we will begin…

Advent is here to remind us of beginnings.

God has already arrived. Christ has already come. The Holy Spirit is here.

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God.

We are in the beginning, now.

Come out of the shadows, friends. Love has come near.

Begin there…

***NOTE***

Today's blog post was inspired by a scene from the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance. You can watch the scene by following this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mk2Tca88Xo

I am also including the scene here on the blog:

Through Stained Glass: Advent--promise

Advent is upon us.

The paraments (or the cloths that hang on the pulpit and drape the communion table) have been changed from green to purple.

Purple—the color of advent is used because purple means royalty.

We drape ourselves with purple stoles as a sign that says “we are preparing for the Royal One to return.”  Of course this is the Christ child.

Advent is four weeks long. A week or so shorter than Lent.

Lent is most often known for the season where we give up that which may be a vice to us. During Lent, many commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence. Many Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily devotional, to draw themselves near to God.

What about Advent?

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” In the season with this name, we keep in mind both “advents” of Christ, the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come.

But what if Advent was a bit more…accessible than that? What if the second coming is something we are waiting for and participating in at the same time?

What if Christ’s coming again happens every time an act of justice occurs or loved is expressed between people or people and the earth?

What if Advent is in itself a reminder that God is still with us and that we need not look any further than within ourselves?

What if we participate in Advent this year with the understanding that we aren’t waiting for God to show up but instead we are waiting to show up for God?

What if this season of Advent instead of wondering where God is in the midst of these dark days…

                        What if

                                    We

                                                Wander with the wonder God sees us with?

What

If

Advent

Is less

About

                        God

                                                Coming

                                                                        To

                                                                                    Us

                                                                        And

                                                More

                        About

Us

Coming alive to the divine in all things…

And…

Subsequently…

In

            All

                        Persons?

Advent is upon us.

It isn’t a season simply about being optimistic.

Instead, it is a way of life—a hopeful way of living.

“Advent is rooted in promise, the promise that makes hope a way of life for God's people.”

After all, hope is the thing with feathers…

                                                                        I can promise you that.